Clutch problem Berlingo 1.9d van

[shrekles]

Hi all.... After a few miles of being difficult to change gear my clutch cable snapped. had a replacement fitted and everything was fine, gear change smooth and better than ever, then after a few days and around 100 miles done it was difficult to get out of gear when i pulled up, and a bit clunky for a while. I have had 2 people look at it and both said new clutch needed. I was told pedal is stiff, but to me it always has been the 3 years ive had the van, also biting point is very low, but again it has been since day I had it...I actually think that the car mat was stuck under pedal not allowing me to fully depress it, since ive moved mat there has been no problem but im scared stiff to drive about in case it is the clutch. both people who told me new clutch needed want the work but i really dont want to fork out £300 if i dont have to....Any words of wisdom greatly appreciated

[ekjdm14]

Welcome along It's hard to say at a distance, but heavy clutch & biting at the end of travel are classic signs of a worn out clutch to be fair to the guys that said it needed one.

It would be good if you could get the opinion of another owner, or at least someone who doesn't want the clutch job, to see what they reckon. I have a personal hatred for "universal" mats (in the drivers footwell at least) since they can, as you say, interfere with the pedals... I recently had my final straw and chucked the mat out of the 206 despite it being great at catching all the rubbish off my boots, because the throttle stuck down for a couple of seconds after months of remembering to pull the mat back as I got in the car... Genuine/fitted mats only on the driver's side for me now, that or hoover a dirty carpet every now & again.

Definitely worth having the job done if the consensus is that it's finished though, the 206 I mentioned had heavy pedal/high bite in that case & although the clutch had never been felt to slip, when I opened it up it was down to the rivets & had JUST started to make it's mark on the flywheel so we caught it just at the right moment. Fitting a genuine new clutch the bite is now in the middle and noticeably lighter pedal even on the hydraulic system the car has. IMO if we'd left it another month we would've been into skimming the flywheel on top of the 3 piece clutch kit. That was on about 99k miles.

[Michel]

It's probably the clutch, but it may be the cable. I was told the same thing in my Berlingo 2.0HDi 4 years ago..

It's still on the same clutch and now has a remap. I'm waiting for clutch death at any time but it's not slipping and I did 2500 miles in France over the last week or so and it's still fine.

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[Lighty]

Does sound a little bit like the clutch is failing.
However we have had many problems with the clutch cables on these vans. In fact I have never found an aftermarket cable that actually works.
A genuine PSA cable is over £100+ vat, but when fitted it transforms the action.
Be careful before you proceed to the next level of expense.

[van ordinaire]

The saga of my clutch woes is fairly well chronicled in my blog. However, my understanding is that these clutches (along with many "modern" cars) fail before they are worn out, usually the thrust disintigrates, sometimes the fingers on the pressure plate break. Usually the symptoms are notchy changes that progessively, & quite quickly, become more difficult but responds, in the very short term, to adjusting the cable.

f-w-i-w, not sure that £300 isn't a bad price - especially if it includes an OE clutch kit. Oh, & never go to a garage that wants work: there must be a reason they're not so busy they can't possibly do the job before Thursday fortnight.

[Michel]

My chap has quoted me £350 inc for doing my Berlingo when it needs doing, using a genuine Citroen clutch kit.

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[van ordinaire]

I would think that's quite a reasonable price, I must've paid nearly that using an inexpensive (as oposed to cheap) clutch & oil that I supplied. It did include collection, delivery, doing it in a hurry so I could go away for the weekend - & coming round for the money - rather than disturbing me when the van was returned. A back street mechanic I know suggested the going rate's about £400 - which is why so many older small cars are scrapped: they're not worth that much or, at least, spending that much on them.

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

see my previous post here.... viewtopic.php?f=4&t=55315
quite probably a similar issue

Likewise as other posters have said £300 ish isn't a bad total: parts alone when I did mine using a Borg & Beck kit were £110.

If the van's sufficiently old that such a sum represents its value, have a go yourself, buy the parts only after you've got it apart, and scrap it / call in a mobile mechanic or similar if it doesn't work out

[van ordinaire]

That is a close parallel to the responses/advice posted when I first reported my gear selection difficultes - right up to when it finally expired one night on the A303.

Surprised your B & B kit was that dear.

Sound advice, nicely put - perhaps that's what I should've done except, having not much before that had the cambelt done, scrapping wasn't an option.

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

Surprised your B & B kit was that dear.

Just over £80 for the kit (push type) + £20 ish for Gearbox oil and a couple of quid for sundries

[van ordinaire]

Surprised your B & B kit was that dear.

Just over £80 for the kit (push type) + £20 ish for Gearbox oil and a couple of quid for sundries

Aaaah, not just the clutch, then!

[flying clutchman]

If you're strapped for cash It's not the most difficult job to do yourself, provided you have access to some basic tools, such as trolley jack and axle stands, a 36mm socket and matching breaker bar, and sockets 10,11,13,16,18 and 19mm and corresponding spanners. Although I prefer to use a 'proper' make of clutch I do a lot of clutches for a colleague who always uses ecp's transmech brand. These seem to work fine on small citroens and are a bit cheaper. You will need to buy the guide sleeve (about £8 from ecp) as these often break. Provided you don't have any leaks you don't need to buy new oil, just drain the gearbox oil, save and refill. You wouldn't have changed the gearbox oil if the clutch wasn't being done, and will save you the job of disposing of the old oil! good luck

[van ordinaire]

Hmmmmm! It was manhandling gearboxes (something I've not done for decades) + doing a job I've never done before (transverse fwd) against the clock that made me decide to (swallow my pride &) get it done.

As Borg & Beck is only a couple of £ more than the cheapest unbranded/unknown brand on line it's a no brainer really.

As for the oil, well I was changing mine because I'd just learned that I'd used the wrong oil when I'd changed it, not so very long before. Chances are, by the time a clutch is required, I'd have thought an oil change was probably well overdue. Of course, IF the oil is a known quantity, & clean, I'd be inclined to agree it could be re-used.

[Bick]

Any feedback from shrekles ??

[flying clutchman]

Hmmmmm! It was manhandling gearboxes (something I've not done for decades) + doing a job I've never done before (transverse fwd) against the clock that made me decide to (swallow my pride &) get it done.

As Borg & Beck is only a couple of £ more than the cheapest unbranded/unknown brand on line it's a no brainer really.

As for the oil, well I was changing mine because I'd just learned that I'd used the wrong oil when I'd changed it, not so very long before. Chances are, by the time a clutch is required, I'd have thought an oil change was probably well overdue. Of course, IF the oil is a known quantity, & clean, I'd be inclined to agree it could be re-used.

Yes, I usually use a valeo if I can, but the original post was suggesting cost was a big issue. Obviously changing the oil won't do any harm (unless you use something totally wrong) but most gearboxes these days are not scheduled for oil change ever. Unlike engine oil gearbox oil works in a sealed (sort of!) environment, the only contaminents being metal particles which are normally collected on a magnet either in the bottom of the box or the drain plug(as in psa ma boxes). Temperature wise they only get conducted heat from the engine wheras the engine oil has red hot gases seeping through into the crankcase. Fords don't even put drain plugs in their gearboxes any more.